industrial lord

Chapter 811 Not Earning a Single Copper Coin
The newly built factory buildings were filled with the smell of limestone. Workers were busy at work, and the foreman's shouts and reprimands could be heard all around.

Paul met Ella at the factory, but the materials had just arrived and needed to be processed as soon as possible to avoid them getting moldy or gnawed by rats if stored for too long or improperly. They could only chat briefly.

Most of the current workers are newly recruited, and many are not yet skilled, so Ella has to keep an eye on them.

The workers first use a small cart to pour the arm-sized pieces of twigs into a hopper. The conveyor belt then sends them to a washing machine and then to a peeling machine. Two rough rollers rotate at high speed to remove the skin. Next, the twigs are sent to a slicer. The evenly sized slices of twig fall into a grinder. After grinding, the slurry is filtered multiple times and then settled. The sediment is washed with clean water multiple times to remove impurities and then settled again to obtain clean starch.

In another factory, starch is mixed into a paste, then extruded into thin strips through molds and dropped into a boiling water tank, where it instantly solidifies into transparent crystal noodles. Workers quickly scoop them out, dry them, and finally package and sterilize them.

Paul followed Dafranche on a tour of the factory, then remembered something and asked curiously, "I've heard that the root of the wine is poisonous. How do you remove the toxins?"

The story of Frederick curing his alcohol poisoning at the Red Ants' place has been passed down for a long time and is known to many.

Dafranche said seriously, "We can say to the outside world that the toxins have been washed away by the water. The real effect comes from the repeated sedimentation process. The toxins are soluble in water and are gradually carried away during the repeated water changes and sedimentation."

Paul realized that there must be some covert operations involved, which were trade secrets and should not be disclosed to the public.

He smiled slightly, nodded, and didn't ask any further questions.

Dafranché led Paul elsewhere, to a place with several large pits filled with slag and smelling rather unpleasant.

“We maximize our profits, and we don’t waste the lees,” Dafranche said proudly. “After crushing these lees, we sprinkle them in the oyster fields, and the results are surprisingly good.”

"We collaborate with the Weisen Academy of Sciences to cultivate kelp and sea cucumbers in oyster fields at the same time, forming a symbiotic cycle system."

Paul's intuition told him that something was wrong with what he was saying, but he had never encountered these kinds of things before and didn't realize it at first.

He felt that Dafranchet was holding back and then sabotaging his competitors.

Dafranché led Paul to the kitchen, where steam filled the air and several cooks were busy preparing lunch for the workers.

He casually found a clean table to sit down and asked someone to bring him a packet of crystal noodles.

“It is expected to last for two or three years. When you want to eat it, just soak it in hot water for a few minutes, just like instant noodles.” Dafranche opened a package and handed it to Paul. “It absorbs the flavor of the broth and has a smooth and chewy texture. It can be paired with broth, stews, or even just soy sauce.”

Paul examined the crystal noodles in his hand carefully. They were light and dry, but he could imagine how plump they would look after soaking up the broth.

"It seems like there's a problem?" He squeezed it. "It feels fragile."

Dafranche nodded and said, "Yes, there's nothing we can do about it. Now we'll work on the packaging to minimize the losses."

Paul glanced at them and asked, "I heard these will also be sent to Bohemia as aid?"

Dafranche nodded and said, "Yes, United Fruit Company provided a lot of food aid, and we were also involved as a partner."

Paul asked, “Excuse me for being so bold, but is this aid deal profitable?”

This is a seemingly unrelated but extremely important issue that deserves extensive discussion. Dafranché was very familiar with the propaganda tactics of the Duchy of Wessen, and after a moment's thought, he said, "This time, our aid is not based on profit; it is purely out of humanitarian support."

"Most importantly, that's Ella's home. How can we bear to profit from a disaster at this time?"

Paul gazed into Dafranche's eyes and read a rare sincerity in them.

Dafranche continued, "In the face of disaster, self-interest is ultimately secondary; what we value more is long-term trust and cooperation."

Paul paused for a moment, noticing the crystal noodles in his hand shimmering slightly in the light, and Dafranchet standing up straight.

Just then, Ella finished arranging her work and came over, overhearing the conversation about profits.

“The first batch of 500 boxes of crystal noodles has already been loaded onto a ship at the Port of Gold Beans and shipped back,” Ella told Paul. “They will travel by sea through the great bay east of the Kingdom of Sardinia to the port of Ferdinand, and then by land through the Osmarca Empire into Bohemia.”

She took the fruit platter and tea brought by the chef and placed them on the table, inviting Paul to eat and drink. She also glared at Dafranche and complained that her husband didn't know how to entertain guests.

“The Duchy has established an aid committee to coordinate aid matters,” Ella continued. “Our crystal noodles are sold to the committee at a fair price.”

“Bohemia needs food, and my hometown is facing hunger, so I only charge the cost price to keep the factory running and don’t make a single penny.”

Paul had already taken out his notebook and written down everything Ella had said.

Nowadays, some say that the Duchy of Weisen has been corrupted by the stench of money. Everyone is obsessed with money, haggling over even half a copper coin. It has lost all humanity and is no longer like the human world, but more like hell.

Paul now sees a different Wesson; they cut profits to zero to alleviate hunger in their hometown, practically working for free for their country.

What a spirit this is!
Paul felt that this showed that the Principality of Wessen had done a good job in promoting spiritual civilization.

The foundation of civilized rural customs lies in people's adherence to morality and emotions.

Ella and Dafranché's choice is a vivid embodiment of this spirit—between self-interest and conscience, they chose the latter.

This is not only an individual's moral awareness, but also reflects the depth and warmth of a society's level of civilization.

Paul's pen moved swiftly across the paper, capturing everything before him: the bustling factory, the crystal-clear noodles, the couple standing side by side, the land outside the window thriving under the flag of the Duchy of Wessen, and the flowers of kindness blooming on that land.

In the distance, the whistles of cargo ships could be heard as another batch of cargo ships set sail, loaded with goods from the south, heading to where they were needed.

On one of the ships, there were countless crystal noodles, freshly produced and bearing the latest crystal shoe logo.

They will be tossed about by the waves for weeks, eventually reaching a mountainous inland region, where they will become warm food on a table.

The women who produce them will continue to work in the factory in Golden Bean Harbor, recording each transaction in the ledger and calculating the production plan for the coming year with their husbands at night.

(End of this chapter)